Jack Thomas (footballer, born 1891)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John William Thomas[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 1891 | ||
| Place of birth | Sacriston, England | ||
| Playing position | Inside right | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Spennymoor United | |||
| Brighton & Hove Albion | |||
| 1911 | Newcastle United | 1 | (0) |
| Spennymoor United | |||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
John William "Jack" Thomas was an English professional football inside right who played in the Football League for Newcastle United.[1]
Personal life
Thomas worked as a miner.[2] After the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, he enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry.[2] Thomas was taken prisoner during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 and was sent to Germany, where he was incarcerated with French prisoners and learnt the language.[2] He eventually escaped with four other French prisoners and by using a compass which had been hidden in a cake sent from home, he made it to the neutral Netherlands.[2] Upon his return to Britain, Thomas was interrogated as a possible German spy, but was then sent back to France to work in counter-espionage, by posing as a French dock worker.[2]